The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for keeping track of articles, and in particular to such an apparatus and method that may be used to ensure the safe-keeping of a plurality of portable items when travelling.
In recent years a large number of types of portable devices have been developed to meet consumer demands. These are devices that are designed and intended to be carried, including when travelling on holiday and on business trips. Such devices include, for example, laptop computers, mobile telephones, cameras, personal digital assistants, electronic diaries, address books and so forth.
Often such devices are carried by their users when travelling on holidays and on business. There is always a risk, however, that such devices may be lost on such trips. This is particularly true when a user is changing hotel rooms frequently, especially on business trips, requiring bags to be unpacked and packed again on a daily or near daily basis. On a long trip, especially if the user of such devices is fatigued or suffering from jetlag, it is easy to overlook such an item when repacking bags before checking out of a hotel. Furthermore such devices are not only expensive to replace, but contain valuable and potentially irreplaceable data. It is an object of the present invention therefore, to provide an apparatus and method for reducing the likelihood that such articles may be lost while travelling.
According to the present invention therefore there is provided apparatus for keeping track of articles during travel, comprising: identification means for attaching to articles to be tracked, processing means for registering articles to be tracked, and means for checking whether a registered article is present.
Preferably each identification means comprises a passive responding means and the checking means comprises means for polling the identification means. In particular the polling means may comprise a transceiver.
In a preferred embodiment the apparatus is adapted to operate in two modes, a first mode being an article registration mode, and a second mode being an article checking mode. Preferably, when the apparatus is in the first mode, details of articles to be tracked are entered into the processing means by placing the articles within the range of the transceiver and the transceiver reads identification data provided on the identification means. Alternatively, or in addition, means may be further provided for manual entry of data during the registration mode. Preferably the manual data entry means enables information regarding the nature of the article to be entered, or this could be included in the identification means itself.
In a preferred embodiment the apparatus further comprises alarm means for signaling when a registered article is not present. Preferably the apparatus may comprise means for indicating which particular article is not present.
The processing means and said checking means may preferably be adapted to be located within a case, and the checking means may be caused to check for the presence of the registered articles upon closure of the case.
Viewed from another broad aspect the present invention provides a system for checking for the presence of selected articles upon closure of a case, comprising: processing means for registering said articles, identification means for identifying said articles, and means for checking for the presence of said articles in said case.